Sister I am the Queen in This Life [Novel] Chapter 128

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Our Little Secret
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In a dress that graduated from crimson to orange and then to yellow, Lariesa looked like a single Apeldoorn tulip from a distance.

‘It would look lovely on Ari.’

Feeling a pang of pity for his girl, who was rarely able to wear brightly colored clothes, Prince Alfonso placed a hand on Grand Princess Lariesa’s waist. With their other hands clasped in the air, they began to step to the rhythm of a fast-paced San Carlo waltz. As the prince and the grand princess began the first dance, other young people quickly joined them on the floor.

“Why, aren’t the young people going to dance?”

The old Count Bartolini prompted Isabella. Isabella smiled and declined.

“No, I would be embarrassed to dance the very first song.”

This was hardly something to be said by Isabella, who had once swept up every first dance at every ball. She simply didn’t want to be seen dancing with the likes of Iacopo Attendolo. Leaving her partner seated beside her like a forgotten sack of barley, Isabella watched the prince of this country lead with impeccable manners, and the foreign woman who spun before him in time with the fast tempo. Everything in the world felt dissatisfying.

‘I will escape this pit soon, just you wait!’

***

Isabella was not the only one staring intently at Prince Alfonso and Grand Princess Lariesa. Ariadne, too, was standing in a corner of the ballroom, watching her man and his official future wife. Alfonso and Ariadne had promised not to acknowledge each other at official functions, but fortunately or unfortunately, Alfonso was the sole prince of the Kingdom of Etruscan and was leading the first dance at the royal ball. Ariadne’s intense gaze went unnoticed in the crowd, appearing perfectly natural. But the man standing beside her knew the whole story.

“Miss Ariadne.”

“Yes?”

“You look uncomfortable. Are you all right? Shall we step out onto the balcony for some fresh air?”

Raphael sought to change the venue entirely so that Ariadne would not have to watch Prince Alfonso and Grand Princess Lariesa dancing hand in hand. Was I that obvious? Ariadne thought, brushing her face.

“No, it’s all right. I’m fine.”

Raphael watched her gently.

“Are you really? There’s no need to pretend to be strong. No one would feel good in this situation.”

He omitted the details, mindful of the people around them, but Ariadne understood at once. Anyone would be upset to see their boyfriend dancing with another woman. But she shook her head. It was a matter of pride. Besides, Alfonso had strictly forbidden her from going out onto a balcony or into the garden alone with another man. It seemed the one and only prince of the Kingdom of Etruscan couldn’t even trust his friend.

“No, really. It’s something that must be done. I don’t mind.”

Raphael smiled, bowed slightly, and extended his left hand.

“Then, would you grant me the honor of this first dance?”

It would be better for her spirits to dance herself than to stand there watching that spectacle. In the grand hall, illuminated by thousands of candles, mirrors lining the walls reflected the candlelight, casting a warm yellow glow on the pale face of the Valdesal heir. Ariadne smiled politely and placed her right hand upon his. As promised to Alfonso, it was covered by her thickest ballroom glove.

“Shall we, signora?”

Raphael led Ariadne toward the center of the floor. He placed a hand on her waist and began to step in time with the music.

“Is the pace all right for you?”

He kept talking to her, ensuring her mind wouldn't wander elsewhere. The San Carlo waltz was rather fast-paced, but Raphael moved his feet as comfortably as if he had been dancing since birth.

“You’re a very good dancer.”

“I received rigorous training from my grandmother when I was young.”

He shrugged. At the mention of his grandmother, Ariadne realized who he was talking about. It was the story of the old Lady Valdesal that Giulia had told her once. Raphael was quite a good storyteller, and Ariadne found herself drawn into his tale.

“My grandmother must have been quite the star of the ballroom scene in her heyday, but she grew lonely when she had to retire to our country estate in her old age due to her health. She would have the three of us siblings stand in the drawing room and waltz all day. If our form faltered even slightly, she would slam the table and shout.”

The old Lady Valdesal had wanted to get her frail second grandson some exercise. However, her second grandson had a peculiar condition where the sun gave him hives. As a last resort, she had gathered her three grandchildren in the drawing room and made them dance all day. Ariadne smiled, picturing the scene.

“Your grandmother sounds like a formidable woman. You and your siblings must be very close.”

“We were, until my brother was alive. The three of us were always together. Now… Giulia and I just snarl at each other on sight.”

‘You clearly haven’t seen truly snarling siblings,’ Ariadne thought, barely managing to hold her tongue and maintain a sociable smile.

“You speak of your brother often.”

“Of course. The root of all my worries stems from his absence.”

“Oh dear, he must have been a pillar of strength for you.”

“No, no.”

His next words were unexpected.

“He was a hopelessly naive idiot.”

Raphael launched into a tirade about how clumsy, mistake-prone, and innocent his late brother, Feliciano, had been. Though every word was a complaint, they were all steeped in affection. Only after thoroughly denouncing Feliciano’s foolishness did Raphael add another comment.

“Still, I wanted him to become the head of the family. That’s why I decided early on to walk the path of a clergyman.”

‘I tried the path of a knight, but I was too weak for it,’ Raphael added. In the Kingdom of Etruscan, the eldest son typically inherited the title and lands, while younger sons became clergymen, soldiers, or merchants to make their own living. However, that was just the general rule; it wasn’t unheard of for a title to be passed to a younger son if he was exceptionally brilliant. The young Raphael had shown far more promise than his brother in many respects, but he hadn’t wanted to push his beloved brother aside.

“My decision to become a clergyman wasn’t born from some burning faith in God. It was just a decent career path to make a living. But as you know, Ariadne, theology is a truly profound field the deeper you delve into it, isn’t it?”

Raphael spoke passionately, his steps never faltering.

“Where do humans come from, and where do they go? Does original sin exist? Does God save us? If so, how should we live? Contemporary theology is the effort to provide logical answers to these complex, layered questions.”

This was the most common path for bright young men to become theologians. It was the same path Cardinal de Mare had walked in his youth.

“Mystical theology must be overcome. Miracles, supernatural powers, the worship of natural phenomena—these things must now give way to the advancements of the new century.”

Ariadne just smiled silently. Outwardly, she was a most devout servant of God and a guardian of logic and reason, but she had witnessed with her own two eyes miracles unexplained by the church and the powers of pagans. The world was a little more complicated than logic could explain.

“I truly want to devote myself to the church now. I’ve already decided to dedicate my life to research. In fact, I’ve already graduated from the Grand Seminary in Padua without my parents’ knowledge.”

The Grand Seminary in Padua was an institution of higher learning that taught theology. Traditionally, one became a priest by entering a monastery attached to a cathedral at a young age, learning theology through hearsay while performing menial chores. That was the path Cardinal de Mare had taken. But with the establishment of a theological college at the University of Padua, the Grand Seminary had, over the last decade, rapidly become the premier course for producing elite clergymen. The sons of nobles or the illegitimate children of high-ranking clergy grew up receiving expensive educations at the seminary instead of scraping by in monasteries. But something was strange. Ariadne asked.

“Didn’t you graduate from the military academy in Padua?”

The military academy in Padua was where Ippolito had studied. That was the very reason Ariadne had agreed to meet Raphael in the first place.

“That’s what my family thinks. You have no idea how much I struggled to get those military science transcripts to send home…”

“So you forged your transcripts to send home? Wouldn’t the university have to send them, stamped with the dean’s seal?”

Was it that easy to forge transcripts at Padua’s military academy? Ariadne thought it might be worth investigating her brother Ippolito.

“No, no. I double-majored in theology and military science. I thought I was going to die, studying two unrelated fields at once. You can’t imagine how much I sweat whenever the required courses for graduation overlapped!”

“Ah… A double major. That’s incredible.”

“Incredible? You’re the one who’s incredible, Miss Ariadne, refuting the Apostle of Acereto without any formal education!”

She felt a mix of slight disappointment and slight admiration. She was disappointed that the possibility of Ippolito forging his transcripts had diminished, but at the same time, the man before her seemed more impressive for having completed degrees in both theology and military science. Awed, and not wanting to reveal her own shallow knowledge, she praised Raphael profusely.

“I was just lucky. Our house was filled with related books. So, are you going to join ‘Verum Quaeritis’ at the Grand Cathedral of San Ercole now, Raphael?”

‘Verum Quaeritis’ was a theological study group hosted by the Grand Cathedral of San Ercole. It was too high-level to be a hobby, but offered no financial compensation, making it an exclusive club. Cardinal de Mare had once recommended it to Ariadne, but she had vehemently refused. By design, only nobles who had no need to worry about their livelihood could participate in such scholarly pursuits. But Raphael shook his head.

“No. I’m not interested in a hobby group. I intend to fully commit myself to the church.”

Ariadne, not quite understanding his meaning, asked again.

“Pardon?”

His face flushed, his silver lashes and red eyes sparkling, he said.

“I’ve already passed the deacon’s examination. All I need is a letter of recommendation from a priest and to receive my ordination as a deacon, and I’ll be officially joining.”

It was a bombshell declaration that he would leave the secular world to become a priest. This man was the sole remaining heir to the Marquisate of Valdesal.

“Your family… they don’t know, do they?”

Of course they don’t. It was a foolish question, but Ariadne was too shocked to ask anything else.

“Of course not. If they knew, my parents would never let me be.”

Raphael laughed cheerfully.

“You won’t tell them, will you? This will be our little secret, right?”

Among the many conditions Alfonso had set, ‘do not share any secrets alone with Raphael’ was not one of them. Besides, the moment Ariadne told Giulia or any other member of the Valdesal family, their household would be thrown into chaos. Ariadne’s head was already spinning with her own family’s problems. She hadn’t the slightest desire to get involved in another family’s affairs.

“I’ll keep your secret.”

She gave an elegant nod as she completed the final turn of the waltz.

“Promise.”

As they waltzed, Raphael’s left hand, which held hers, traced her palm and hooked his pinky finger around hers.

“!”

Startled by the sudden touch, Ariadne looked up at Raphael de Valdesal just as the orchestra played the final notes of the waltz. *Da-dan.* As if nothing had happened, Raphael stepped back and bowed elegantly to his partner.